Imitation mohair fabric

ABSTRACT

A woven imitation mohair fabric comprising a spun yarn consisting essentially of a blend of trilobal polyester fibers and wool fibers.

United States Patent Layton [451 Jan. 18,1972

[54] IMITATION MOHAIR FABRIC [72] Inventor: Irving Layton, Great Neck, NY.

[73] Assignee: Burlington Industries, Inc., Greensboro,

[22] Filed: Feb. 27, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 14,779

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 710,628, Mar. 5, 1968, abandoned.

[52] U.S.Cl ..139/426,57/140, 161/177 [51] Int. Cl. ..D03d 15/00 [58] Field of Search ..139/426, 420; 57/140, 140 BY, 57/140 J; 161/177, 179

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,422 11/1936 Weinberg ..139/426 DuPont-Technical Information-Processing Blends of Dacron and Wool on the Worsted Systems Bulletin D-l29 Sept. 1960, (Title page and page 3) Primary Examiner-Kee Chi: James [5 7] ABSTRACT A woven imitation mohair fabric comprising a spun yarn consisting essentially of a blend of trilobal polyester fibers and wool fibers.

9 Claims, No Drawings HMITATION MOHAIR FABRIC This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 710,628 filed Mar. 5, 1968, now abandoned.

The present invention is concerned with the provision of an imitation mohair fabric.

Broadly described, the fabric of the invention is woven, at least in part, with a spun yarn consisting essentially of an intimate blend of trilobal polyester and wool fibers. The spun yarn may be used as the filling and/or warp. Thus, the fabric may be woven entirely of spun yarns composed of the same or different blends of the trilobal polyester staple and wool fibers or, as an alternative, the spun blend of polyester and wool may be used as the warp or filling in conjunction with other yarns of different composition. In the latter event, however, the fabric should contain at least percent of the trilobal polyester/wool blend, based on the total weight of the fabric, in order to obtain the advantages of the invention.

The invention is dependent, at least in large measure, on the use of trilobal polyester fiber blended with the wool. As known in the art, trilobal polyester fiber is characterized by a generally triangular cross section as distinguished from the more conventional polyester of circular cross section.

Use of spun yarn comprising a blend of the trilobal polyester and wool fiber according to the invention gives a fabric with a rich subdued luster and scroopy hand (mellow crispness), characteristic to mohair fabrics. This fabric has, besides the characteristic mohair look, better wrinkle recovery properties than a conventional mohair fabric. The strength of the fabric is also increased in comparison to mohair fabrics. Better bulk and drape for tailorability are other additional advantages of the present fabric, particularly in the case of heavier weights. It is not understood why these highly favorable results are obtained using the blends of wool and trilobal polyester but apparently this is due, at least to some extent, to the shape and other characteristics of the trilobal polyester and the way these cooperate with the characteristics of the wool fibers.

The amount of trilobal polyester fiber blended with the wool fiber for present purposes can be rather widely varied but should be in the range of 10-90 percent by weight of the polyester fiber based on the total weight of the polyester and wool fibers in the blend. Some amount, e.g., percent, of other fibers, natural or synthetic (such as mohair, cotton, nylon, acrylic, etc.) may also be included in the blend yarn used herein if desired for special purposes. The ratio of trilobal polyester to wool, however, should be maintained within the limits indicated.

As noted earlier, the fabric of the invention should be composed of at least 10 percent by weight of trilobal polyester/wool blend yarn. Advantageously, the blend content comprises from 20-80 percent of the fabric weight although, as noted, the fabric may also be made up entirely of spun yarn comprising a blend or blends of trilobal polyester and wool fibers.

The blend yarn may be used in singles or plied form. The yarn size may be widely varied but, as examples, there may be mentioned 1] 10s to l/s in singles and 2/20s to 2/72s for twoply.

It will be recognized that the fabric construction can be varied and the number of filling and warp ends per inch (i.e., density of the fabric) will depend on such factors as the weave and yarn count, the desired fabric weight and blend level, etc. However, final density of the fabric should be such that the total number of picks and ends per inch does not exceed, and is usually 5-15 percent less than, the value of T using the following formula:

lru/c ssor 2 F is the average float, which depends on the weave involved, i.e., in a plain weave, the average float is one while in a 2X2 weave, the average float is 2 and in a crepe, the value may be the average of the difierent floats contained in the weave.

As illustrative of the invention, there may be mentioned a fabric woven in a 2X2 twillweave and comprising picks (filling) and ends (warp) per inch (final density) using 2/60s blend yarn (55 percent trilobal polyester and 45 percent wool) in the warp and filling. This fabric showed a rich subdued luster and mellow crispness characteristic of mohair fabrics. The fabric also demonstrated better wrinkle recovery, strength, bulk and drape than a comparable mohair fabric.

In another alternative of the invention, a fabric was woven in plain weave using 2/60s blend yarn in the warp and l/30s blend yarn in the filling, at a final density of 6 4 ends and 57 picks per inch. Highly desirable results were obtained when using the same blend as in the preceding example (55 percent trilobal polyester/45 percent wool) and different blends (with and without other fibers).

It will be recognized that various modifications may be made in the invention described herein without deviating from the scope thereof. The blend yarn employed herein may be prepared in any conventional fashion, for example, by blending the appropriate mixture of trilobal polyester and wool fibers and then spinning into yarn of the desired count. Any available trilobal polyester may be used and the same is true for the wool fibers which may be of any desirable grade. The blend yarn is usually spun with a twist of about 10-23 turns per inch S or Z for singles, the exact number of turns in any case depending on yarn size and other operating factors. If the blend yarn is used in the plied state, theply twist may also be in the range of about l023 turns per inch, or slightly more or less, but in the opposite direction from the spun twist.

The scope of the invention is defined in the following claims wherein:

l. A woven fabric having the characteristics of a woven mohair fabric and comprising from 10-100 percent by weight of spun yarn consisting essentially of a blend of trilobal polyester fibers and wool fibers, the trilobal polyester fibers constituting l0-90 percent by weight of said blend, said woven fabric being further characterized, in addition to the subdued luster and scroopy hand of a mohair fabric, by improved wrinkle recovery, bulk and drape, the final density of the fabric being such that the total number of picks and ends per inch does not exceed the value of T using the following formula:

T: K(\/C560F) 2 0132 where T is the total number of picks and ends per inch;

K is a constant for the yarn and averages between about C is the yarn count on the English worsted systems; and

F is the average float.

2. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said spun yarn is used as both the warp and filling.

3. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said spun yarn constitutes percent of the fabric.

4. The fabric of claim 1 whereinsaid spun yarn constitutes 20-80 percent by weight of the fabric.

5. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said blend yarn is used in singles form.

6. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said blend yarn is used in plied form.

7. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used as 10s to 72s single or plied yarn.

8. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used in singles form, said yarn having a spun twist of about l0-23 turns and a yarn size of l/lOr to l/30s.

9. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used in plied form as 2/20s to 2/72.: and has a plied twist of 1023 turns. 

2. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said spun yarn is used as both the warp and filling.
 3. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said spun yarn constitutes 100 percent of the fabric.
 4. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said spun yarn constitutes 20-80 percent by weight of the fabric.
 5. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said blend yarn is used in singles form.
 6. The fabric of claim 1 wherein said blend yarn is used in plied form.
 7. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used as 10s to 72s single or plied yarn.
 8. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used in singles form, said yarn having a spun twist of about 10-23 turns and a yarn size of 1/10s to 1/30s.
 9. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the spun yarn is used in plied form as 2/20s to 2/72s and has a plied twist of 10-23 turns. 